The Walrus
by NCCJFAN
Summary: Time does one thing pass. And passing time brings changes. But what good are changes if you don't talk about them? This is the result of too many Meg RyanTom Hanks movies and a raging bout of insomnia.
1. The Walrus

**Okay folks, I know it's been a while since I've written solo, but I've been having way too much fun writing with Nina.**

**This idea came to me after watching a Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks marathon on some obscure television station one night when sleep was eluding me. I am known for my insomnia, but I do try to redeem this by being creative while my eyelids seem to be glued permanently open.**

**And I'll be the first to admit, it's a long shot. But I could see it happening and getting only as hopelessly confused as Jordan and Woody could make it.**

**So let's raise a glass to my latest Woody/Jordan (or Jordan/Woody, if you prefer) escapade and the upcoming season six. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. But like Nyn, if they don't behave in season six, I'm staging a coup.**

**Chapter One**

**A/N – This chapter is a little scattered, but it sets everything up. Hang on and bear with me….**

_"The time has come," the Walrus said,  
"To talk of many things:  
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--  
Of cabbages--and kings--  
And why the sea is boiling hot--  
And whether pigs have wings."_

_--Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, 1872_

Mondays after holiday weekends were a bitch for everyone involved. The hospitals were generally overrun with patients who suffered from everything from their own stupidity to being victimized by _someone else's_ stupidity.

Which meant the Boston police department was also working at maximum capacity to sort out the stupidity and the reasons behind it. What happened? Who was to blame? Who was to be jailed and who was to be let go?

The holiday domino theory came into full play in this, of course, as sometimes man's inhumanity to man, coupled with man's stupidity, resulted in the most permanent of damages: death. Garret sighed and clicked out of his e-mail. This day after New Year's was no different. The hospitals, the police department, and the morgue were all working at full capacity. Death didn't stop for the holiday and now he had to tell his already over-worked staff that overtime and double-shifts were going to be the normal routine for the next several days.

* * *

"Can't we catch a break?" grumbled Bug, coming out of autopsy one. He had planned to spend the day after New Year taking down his Christmas tree and the other remnants of the holiday. He was scheduled to be off. He had plans to spend a good chunk of that time with Lily…exploring the new aspects of their relationship. Being back at the morgue was not in his plans for today.

Instead a call from Nigel had pulled him out of bed at an hour when Bug was sure that God himself wasn't awake yet. At least not awake and functioning.

"It's the holiday, Buggles," Nigel replied, as if that statement explained everything. And in a way it did…clearly and succinctly. He followed close behind his friend, scanning the white board to see what case was up next.

"Speaking of break," Lily said, joining them in the hallway, "there's coffee and doughnuts in the break room, if you want some."

"Thanks, Lils," Bug replied with a warm smile. "Did you go get them?"

"I did…before I came to work. Figured some extra caffeine and sugar might be just what everyone needed."

"What we _need_," Bug began, "is another ME." He threw a pointed look at _her_ empty office.

"Buggles…" Nigel said the name in a warning voice.

"We do….if she isn't back…then what we need…"

"Is another ME. Right." Garret's voice coming from behind broke up the argument. "I have a call into Cambridge. Hopefully they can spare one until I can hire another."

"Another? As in addition to…" Lily began hopefully.

Garret shook his head. "No," he replied softly. "As in the place of." The e-mail he had clicked out of before breaking up the beginning argument in the hall had been from Jordan. On the advice of her lawyers she wasn't coming back to Boston. Even though her name had been cleared, even though Woody had worked overtime behind Lu's back to get any guilt expunged from her record, she couldn't come back home. At least not for a while.

Her lawyers were saying about a year should do it. She was pleading for as much time as she needed. Time to finally grieve JD. Time to regroup. Time to recover herself from the trauma that had been inflicted on her. Time to sort out her feelings for Boston, her job….Woody. She wasn't sure how long she'd be gone…just that it would be a while.

And for everyone to please try and understand. She really had grown up. And sometimes when you grow up, you move away from home.

Garret sighed and ran a hand down his tired face. "She's not coming back."

* * *

_Three years later…_

Jordan had to smile as she walked down the familiar streets of Boston again. It had been a while. Three years to be exact.

Three years since she fled Boston on a hastily arranged flight out of Logan to flee to Washington, DC and try to track down JD's killer and the judge that was behind the reporter's murder. No one but Woody knew exactly where she had gone, because at the time, Woodrow Wilson Hoyt was the only man she trusted and as far as she had known then, the only person that absolutely believed in her complete innocence.

Including herself. Until Jordan had held the evidence in her hands and weighed it, even she wasn't so sure she didn't shoot JD. She had blacked out before. To this day, she couldn't remember everything about her mother's death. JD's murder might not have been any different.

However, it was. JD _was_ murdered, but not by her. It had been a hired hit by a judge who was so conceited he really thought that not only was he above the law, but that he was a law unto himself. Woody had done good. He had taken the evidence and got her cleared.

But a court's judgment of clarity could not rid Jordan of the guilt she had saddled herself with. If she hadn't asked JD to come back to Boston…if she would have left well-enough alone, he might still be alive.

Or maybe not. The judge had been well aware of what JD was trying to uncover. The hit on JD probably would have taken place regardless of where JD was at. But if she hadn't extended the invitation for JD to be her escort at Lily's almost-marriage to Brandeau, at least she wouldn't have found herself as the chief suspect of a murder investigation.

That kind of stuff takes a toll on a girl. And her reputation. Professionally and personally.

A year. Her lawyers said stay out of Boston for a year. Let the collective judicial dust settle. The judge had pled out to spare his family the embarrassment of a trial, so Jordan never faced the glare of the cameras she would have if she did have to testify. But they still advised for her to wait a year…let the story begin to relegate itself from the front page of the newspapers, to the inside…then to the last page…and finally into oblivion.

A year. Three hundred and sixty-five days. Somehow she knew it wasn't going to be enough. So she had e-mailed Garret and simply resigned her post at the morgue. Drifted for a while. From DC to a small town in Maryland. Worked in a hospital there processing the bodies until it became known what her profession was. The state offered her a job.

She took it on the condition she could stay in Somerset County – a place that was largely water and in that aspect not so different from Boston. The main industry was agriculture, but timber and fishing were also big. What wasn't so big were the towns and the pace was slower – something very different from Boston and something that Jordan now craved instead of avoided. So for three years she had resided in Princess Anne, Somerset's county seat. Made friends. Matured some more.

However, she didn't turn her back completely from her past. Woody had flown into see her. On some level, they had reconciled, putting their past in the past. Their future friendship would be just that, a friendship. The distance between Princess Anne and Boston, as well as her new situation in life made sure of that. He returned to Boston and without her there to drag him from one hare-brained situation to the next, he was promoted several times.

Jordan herself had returned to Boston only once during those three years – to attend Bug's and Lily's wedding. Once again, she was Lily's maid of honor. This time she stayed at Garret's house instead of the hotel where the wedding was taking place.

And this time she didn't have an escort.

As soon as Dr. and Mrs. Vejay had left on their honeymoon, Jordan took a taxi to Logan and flew out of Boston again. Up until today, other than phone calls, Christmas cards, and e-mails, she had no physical presence in the city.

But when the morgue faced another staff shift, Garret found himself too tired to train another ME. He simply picked up the phone, called her, and offered Jordan her old job back at more than three times the salary she was making before. She had sucked in a breath and asked for twenty-four hours to think it over.

He gave her twelve.

She replied in six.

She was coming home to Boston.


	2. The Time Has Come

**This is still kinda scattered, but I _promise_ it will all come together…**

**Chapter Two**

**The Time Has Come**

All-in-all, Boston hadn't really changed that much. Winters were still bone-chilling cold and summers could be lobster-boiling hot. Mondays after weekends were still crazy and Mondays after long holiday weekends were even worse, Jordan mused to herself as she once again trod down the familiar halls of a morgue she wasn't sure she would ever return to.

"How's it going, Jordan?" A well-meant question, but one Garret had warily asked several times since she had returned Jordan wasn't far off the mark when she had wondered out loud if that was Garret's way of checking to see if she was ready to leave town again.

"Good. But we're backed up in the crypt. Any idea when Bug's going to be in?"

Garret glanced to vacant station in the office Bug still shared with Nigel and then to Lily's dark office. "Not sure, but he said he wouldn't be too late."

"Oh." Jordan raised her eyebrows. "Something I need to know about?"

Garret shook his head. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Ah. Honeymooners still…oh, to be young and in love…" she joked.

"Something like that," he replied turning to go back into his office. "I'll scrub up and be in autopsy in a minute." It was the least he could do, after getting her back and throwing her head first back into the madhouse called the Boston morgue.

"I can handle it until Bug gets back," she called to his closed door. "I really can…" But Garret wasn't listening. Jordan sighed, tucked a curl behind her ear and made her way down the hall to the break room to grab a cup of coffee before heading back to autopsy.

_A fifteen minute caffeine fix_, she thought as she poured herself a cup and mused over the changes that had taken place while she was gone. She had been surprised that most of the morgue staff, at least the ones she had known before she settled in Princess Anne, were still the same. Garret was sober, older, and more cautious than ever. And maybe just a little more compassionate, as of late. Nigel was still Nigel. He hadn't changed any. Glad to have her back, but still as eccentric as ever.

And always her friend.

The biggest changes had been in Bug and Lily. Which Jordan had kind of expected. They were the only married couple in her circle of old friends from Boston. She knew that things would change…Bug and Lily would change….but she hadn't expected them to change quite so much. It wasn't as if they were like some couples who get so wrapped up in each other and their life together that they turn their backs on old friends, but something was keeping them pre-occupied and Jordan knew it wasn't just newlywed sex.

Bug wore a worried expression a good portion of the time and Lily always looked on edge. If Jordan was a betting woman, she'd bet Lily was pregnant despite what Garret had said about "nothing being out of the ordinary."

As a matter of fact, she'd wager a night out at the Beef-n-Brew that was what was wrong. She smiled as she finished her coffee and set her cup in the sink. If it was, it would explain Bug's worried looks and Lily's edginess…a baby brought a lot into play. Money. Lily's health. A house. College funds.

But a baby…

Despite that fact that she was _Jordan Cavanaugh_ and people still expected her to behave in certain ways, she really had changed and matured during her time in Somerset County…even more than when she had been in Boston.

Whether it was the slower pace along the Maryland coastline or just the point she was at in her life, Jordan began to think about having a family herself. Nearly all the people she had worked with at the Maryland morgue had families. It seemed she was constantly being sent invitations to baby showers, bridal showers, christenings, kindergarten graduations. Even Bar Mitzvahs. She had gone to Saturday soccer games with her friends that were soccer moms and Friday night football games to see her former chief ME's son play quarterback.

And wondered what it would be like to be a real part of that. Have a husband. A few kids. A dog. A house with a white picket fence. Drive a mini-van for the next fifteen or so years.

Feel life kicking inside her.

Spend twenty hours in labor in order to produce someone who might have the next cure for cancer or AIDS tucked between their ears.

But be just as proud of them if they made an eighty on their Algebra I final.

A baby.

She hoped Lily was pregnant. Jordan might not experience motherhood herself, but a best friend that was pregnant was the next best thing. Lily would share. She had shared everything else with Jordan.

_And this way I don't have to deal with colic, two a.m. feedings, or teething…_

* * *

"It's negative," Lily said, trying hard to keep her tears at bay.

And not succeeding very well. Another negative pregnancy test…

"It's okay, Lily," Bug replied, coming up behind her and gently cradling her against him. "It's okay. When the time is right, we'll have a baby. Don't worry."

"But I do. I worry." Lily reached for a Kleenex and wiped her nose. "We've been trying for two years…and nothing." She turned in his arms and cuddled into his chest. "Two years is a long time to try and nothing happen."

"What did the doctors tell us? We're a little older, and sometimes it takes us 'old farts' a while to conceive. We'll just have to keep practicing until we get it right." He pushed her hair out of her eyes and gave her a lewd grin. "And we know how much we both like _practicing…._"

Lily giggled despite her tears. She had to. The grin was so seemingly out of character for Bug, unless you knew him really well….knew him like she knew him, anyway. "I know…but don't you think it's time we called the _other_ doctor?"

Bug sighed. "Dr. Roberts?" He really didn't have to ask. He knew who Lily meant. Dr. Roberts was the fertility specialist that Lily's regular gynecologist had recommended.

"Yeah. Him. Don't you think it's time?" she asked again, still sniffling back her tears.

Bug slowly nodded. "I…I guess so," he responded, trying his best to keep the reluctance out of his voice.

Lily blew her nose. "I'll call him when I get to work. Make an appointment." She kissed him softly. "I'll let you know when it is."

Bug nodded again. "I guess we should get going. Jordan's going to be wondering where I'm at."

"But Garret knows?"

Another nod. "Dr. Macy knows. He said take as long as we need. But don't worry, he's not telling," he hastily added, to reassure his wife.

"I know he won't…I guess I just don't want anyone to know about this until we have something definite nailed down."

"If…if … things don't work out, no one ever has to know, Lily."

Lily nodded. "I know that, too."

* * *

"So you've got an actual _date_ tonight?" Nigel asked as Jordan was getting ready to leave work early.

"That surprises you?"

Nigel shook his head. "No. Yes. I don't know…I mean I know you were gone for three years and probably dated in Maryland. I guess we're kind of stuck in that zone you were in after….after…" his voice trailed off.

"After I sent Pollack packing and shut myself off from everyone?"

"Yeah…" _After you realized that Woody and Lu were seeing each other and you weren't expecting that…not after that night at the Inn_. Jordan didn't know Nigel knew about the Lucy Carver Inn. Woody had confessed it to him one night over too many beers and a raging bout of guilt. After he had broken up with Lu, and shortly before Jordan had announced she wasn't coming home yet.

Jordan grinned and fluffed her hair out. "I did date some in Maryland. No one serious."

_She's moved on and grown up…_"Then who's the lucky guy tonight?" _Dear God, don't let it be Woodrow._

"Remember Eddie Winslow?"

Nigel thought for a minute and nodded vaguely. "I think so." Detective Winslow had been on his way out of the Nineteenth about the time Nigel was on his way in at the morgue.

"Eddie's in Cambridge now, at the Eighth. He sent me an e-mail the other day about an old case we worked on together years ago…after I got back to Boston from LA. We started talking… one thing led to another…"

"And you're rekindling the old flame tonight?"

Jordan laughed. "More like just pizza and a few beers, Nige." She put on her coat and made for the door.

"Be good…" His voice trailed after her.

"Always am…."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't…"

Her head popped back in the door. "Well,_ that_ leaves the field wide open, doesn't it?"

Nigel threw a paper wad at her retreating figure, chuckling the entire time. It was nice to see Jordan settling in so well. For weeks he had wondered, even feared, if her stay in Boston would be temporary.

To his and Garret's relief, it appeared that she was really home this time. She was peaceful…content….grown up.

And made no effort to re-establish what almost-was with Woody. The fact that she was dating someone else and shying away from a relationship that had at one time left her hurt, confused, and on an emotional rollercoaster was a good thing.

Good for both of them.

Good for everyone involved. Nigel sighed in resolution, put both hands behind his back, and leaned back in his chair. Now if he could just get Buggles to loosen up, all would be well in his little morgue-hole. Nigel had assumed that marriage….finally getting the woman that Bug had really loved since the day he had laid eyes on her…would lighten up the moods of his semi-morose friend.

And it had for a while.

Nigel couldn't detect there was trouble in paradise, but something was definitely wrong…he just couldn't put his finger on what it was.


	3. Talk of Many Things

**Still kind of scattered….but bear with me. Background is important on this one….**

**Chapter Three**

**Talk of Many Things**

Unexplained infertility.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Roberts told Lily and Bug. "I know that sounds kind of like a lame excuse…"

Bug was silent a moment. "_Unexplained_ infertility. Dr. Roberts, I'm a scientist. _Everything_ has some sort of explanation…even a partial one. Can you be more specific with us?" Bug reached over and took Lily's hand. Lily had called Dr. Roberts and set up an appointment for more fertility tests. In conjunction, Bug had made an appointment with his urologist for further testing also on his part.

Dr. Roberts sighed. "Unexplained infertility is kind of like a catch-all phrase we use for childless couples whose infertility could be based on several factors, not just one. In your case, first of all, it's age. You're not old," he hastened to add to Lily, "but women in their twenties are more fertile than women in their thirties…at least they are more likely to get pregnant without medical help.

"Second, Lily, you've suffered from endometriosis for years. It's left scarring. You've had surgery before, but now the scars have scars…there's tubule blockage, among other things. "

"So, what are our options?" Lily asked, sniffling back her tears.

"There are several," Dr. Roberts began. "We can go back in and do more laser surgery on you….began hormone treatments…and then try to get you pregnant by normal methods or by invetro-fertilization. "

"How long will that take?" Bug asked, tightening the hold on Lily's hand.

Sighing again, Dr. Roberts continued. "I don't know. It depends on Lily's healing time, how bad the endometriosis continues to be during this process, and if the hormones help. It could be six months…it could be six years. I can't tell you for sure."

"I don't want to wait that long, Lily began. "That might put us in our late thirties having our first child. And I would like more than one."

Bug nodded, wondering just when did bringing a baby into this world become so difficult for two people that loved each other, wanted to spend that life together, and wanted children in the equation. "I agree…is there any other option, Dr. Roberts?"

"There is always adoption….public or private."

"Adoption takes so long…and private adoptions are so expensive," Lily began.

"Yeah, and we've spend a lot of money already on tests and treatments…none of this is covered by insurance," Bug added.

"There's always the consideration of a surrogate mother. Most maternity riders now handle those on your insurance, Dr. Vejay."

Lily and Bug looked at each other and sighed. "Let's give it six months," Bug finally said.

Lily nodded in agreement. "Six months isn't that long…."

* * *

"When in the hell did he get to be so uptight?" Jordan asked, storming into Nigel's office.

"Which 'he' are we talking about?" Nigel asked casually, never moving his eyes off his computer screen. "There's a lot of uptight 'he's' we could be discussing. Present company excluded of course." He turned then and gave her a toothy smile.

"Woodrow Wilson Hoyt!"

"Oh….that uptight 'he'."

"Yes, him," Jordan said, trying to contain her frustration, but still fuming. "What has happened to him? When he flew out to Maryland to see me….and even at Bug's and Lily's wedding…he seemed fine…like his old self…What happened?"

Nigel didn't know how to explain everything that had happened to Woody since she left. After Bug's and Lily's wedding, Woody's world had dove into a tail spin. First was the news that Jordan wasn't going to return to Boston for at least a year– perhaps never. Then there was the break up with Lu and all of its fall out. Add to that more trouble with Cal, and the fact that Woody's back injury had begun to give him real physical problems, and the detective had dealt with a full plate for a long time.

Now multiply that with the promotions he had received and all the new responsibilities that were on Woody's plate and the product was one uptight man.

"Woody's gone through a lot since you left, love."

Jordan gave Nigel a hard look. "Would you care to explain?"

"Uh. Some of it I can. Some of it Woody would have to tell you." Indeed. Nigel wasn't even going to go into how messy the break up with Lu was. Or Woody's now seemingly physical limitations. That was all Woody's business, even though he had told Nigel everything that same night at the Beef-n-Brew he suffered the effects of too many beers and a raging fit of guilt. But what was public record, Nigel felt was fair game.

"Cal…kind of popped in the picture again and gave him some problems….and then he has a lot of responsibilities now with his new promotions and all…" Nigel hedged. It was difficult for him to be in this position with his loyalties divided between two friends.

Jordan snorted. "And that made him so uptight?"

"He's in charge of a lot of detectives now, love. There's a lot of eyes looking up to him as well as looking over his shoulder." Nigel's curiosity got the best of him. "What did he do to piss you off so?"

"I went to give him some reports on that last autopsy I did on the Maness homicide…the one everybody and his brother was pushing me to get done? I knock on his office door and try to give him the damn paper work and he asks me if I have a freakin' appointment to see him…An appointment! To give him something he has rode my back to get for two days!" she finished in a huff.

Nigel smothered a chuckle. That sounded like Woody now. Anything not on his Daytimer or not listed on his schedule and the man went off. "Well…did you make an appointment to go back to see him?"

"Hell, no! I told him if he needed the reports that badly he could hump his ass over here to see me…that is _if_ he made an appointment first."

This time Nigel couldn't stifle the laughter. "Dear God….you're not back six months and you're both back at each other's throats…."

"Damn skippy. Poor Lu…He's so anal now I bet he makes love in a suit and tie…."

Nigel didn't sigh then. He turned his head. He wasn't going to be the one to tell Jordan about Lu and Woody. That would have to come from the detective himself.

* * *

"And?" Lily prompted Bug.

"She's clean."

"Clean as in…."

Bug sighed. He hated snooping. Especially on his friends. It made him feel like Nigel.

"All of her medical check ups for the last ten years are clean. She's dated no one questionable…well….unless you count…"

"But she's _clean_…_clean_ as in healthy?" Lily pressed.

"Clean as in perfectly healthy."

"Then she would make a good surrogate mother…."

Bug sighed. "Medically, yes. She would make an excellent choice for a surrogate mother." It was amazing what a few hours of computer hacking could bring up if you had a valid social security number.

Lily squealed. "Then it's official…"

"She could say no…." Bug warned.

Lily smiled. "Somehow I don't think she will."

"Lily…don't get your hopes up," Bug warned.

"I won't. I promise. But we're best friends. I'd do the same for her."

"Still…"

Lily smiled. "Unless you have any objections, I'm going to invite her over for dinner tonight. We can ask her then."

Bug sighed again. A defeated sigh. The sigh of a man who knows when he's whipped. "Okay. Just no alcohol. If she's going to carry our baby, she needs to start living a completely healthy lifestyle _now_. And lots of vegetables. And carbs. Carbs, especially pasta, make the uterus more of a feasible place for embryo implantation."


	4. Of Shoes and Ships and SealingWax

**Chapter Four**

**Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing-Wax**

_Dinner…they've asked me to dinner because they said they needed to talk to me about something…something what? I bet Lily's pregnant….bet she is…bet she is…._Jordan chanted to herself as she searched for a parking space at the restaurant. Lily had come to her earlier in the day, asking if Jordan could meet her and Bug for dinner tonight at Antoine's, an upscale Italian restaurant.

"Antoine's….that's kind of fancy, isn't, Lils?" Jordan just assumed they were still into the Beef-n-Brew mentality.

"It is," Lily replied, twisting her necklace around her finger. "But…Bug and I need to talk to you about something…and Antoine's is kind of secluded…"

"So it's important…this 'thing' you need to tell me?"

Lily nodded vigorously. "It is…just…keep an open mind. Okay?"

"An open mind?"

Another vigorous nod. "Yeah…"

"And you're not going to tell me anything right now?"

"Not without Bug…"

"Okay…" Jordan shook her head. "I'll be there at seven with bells on….and an open mind."

What exactly an open mind had to do with being pregnant, Jordan didn't know. Maybe Lily had come across some new birth technique and needed Jordan in the room as well as Bug…chanting some New Age mantra or something.

But now she was parked, and entered the dimly-lit restaurant. From over in the back, at a really secluded booth, she saw Bug wave.

"We went ahead and ordered you some tea," Lily told her after greeting her friend.

"Decaf, sweetened with sugar and lemon," Bug added. "The decaf is better for you."

"Well, thanks….but I think I'd like a glass of wine, too," Jordan said, laughing at Bug. "Since when did you get all concerned about what's good for me?"

The nature of Bug's concern soon unloaded like the proverbial ton of bricks as somewhere between the Calamari appetizer and her main course of chicken and pasta, Lily and Bug got out their story.

"Unexplained infertility…I am so sorry." That's the only thing Jordan could find to say. She had come here tonight so sure that her friends…her family…was going to tell her that a new addition was going to be added to the group. A tiny diaper-wearing addition that gooed and cried and wiggled. An addition, with any luck, she could help take care of.

She grieved for her friends and herself. "So sorry," she repeated, grasping Lily's hand. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Actually, there is," Bug said. "And this is completely up to you…"

"And kind of 'out there'," Lily added with a near-giggle. "But remember I told you to keep an open mind."

"Okay…" Jordan began to feel apprehension build at the base of her spine and work its way up. She mentally calculated the distance between their booth and the exit doors.

"We were wondering…if perhaps by chance…you'd consider being our surrogate mother…" Bug began.

"Surrogate?" Jordan nearly spewed her ice tea all over the tablecloth. "Sorry…."

"Yes, surrogate…you'd carry the baby…all expenses would be paid…Bug would cover for you at the morgue while you're recouping after birth and any time during the pregnancy you don't feel well…" Lily began

"And at the end, Lily and I will be parents…the baby will always know who you are and what part you play in his or her life. You'll be its godmother, of course, and be able to see it as much as you want," Bug finished, in an uncharacteristic rush. "So what do you think?"

"What do I think? I think…I'm flattered you'd chose me…I think…I think…." She was stammering she was so near speechless.

"You don't have to let us know now, Jordan," Bug told her, gently squeezing her hand. "But maybe in a few days…when you've had a chance to think about it. It's a big decision."

"Yeah…it is a big decision, Jor. Just…don't make us wait too long?" Lily added, a pleading note in her voice. If Jordan said no, other plans would have to be put into place.

Jordan took a deep breath. "Let me make sure I have this straight. In vitro, right?"

Bug nodded. "Absolutely."

"In a real medical lab…not the morgue lab…and no turkey basters involved?"

"Dr. Roberts would handle everything," Lily replied, trying to reassure her.

"Your egg…" she pointed to Lily, "and your sperm?" The finger moved to Bug.

"Well…not exactly." Bug hesitated. "Maybe you better tell her, Lily."

"I'm too scarred from the endo for them to get a viable egg," Lily said softly. "The egg would be yours. The sperm would be Bug's."

"So technically, I'd be the mother, not just an incubator, and Bug would be the father."

They both nodded.

_Whoaaa boy…._

"Give me 24 hours to think about it."

* * *

She didn't go home that evening after dinner. It was a short walk to the pier where she used to run…a place where she would go to clear her head during difficult times. In happier times, she would run there with Woody.

She walked down the wooden structure and propped her elbows on the railing. Now was one of those difficult times. She closed her eyes.

_Nine months. For nine months, I'd be a human incubator for this baby…_ A hand found its way to her tummy. _And then I'd have to give it up. Because even if it's mine, it's not mine…._

_Nine months of carrying a baby only to have to turn around and give it up. Even if it's to my best friend and her husband. And I'd see it everyday._

_On the other hand…I'm in my late thirties. I can't kid myself. This could be the only and last chance I have to carry a baby…give birth…have that experience._ _And I could see him or her as much as I want, and not have to deal with two a.m. feedings, colic, teething, and potty training._

But Jordan had to admit somewhere deep down inside, a part of her wanted to deal with all that and more…kindergarten…scouts….driving…dating….She opened her eyes and pulled away from the railing, beginning to walk back to her car, when a familiar form passed her.

Woody. He threw up a hand in a brief wave and kept running.

Several years ago, he would have stopped, talked her into going back to his apartment with him while he changed, and then taking her out for drinks.

Now it was a wave. Just a wave. Not even a grunt in greeting.

But what did she expect? The years had passed, time didn't stand still. They both had moved on. They both had changed. She wanted a family and baby…he wanted….Well, Jordan couldn't say exactly what he wanted, other than protocol followed and to be left alone.

_So why did you come back to Boston? Did you by some scatter-brained idea think that things might fall back into place with him? _

She shook her head. No…in reality, she and Woody had broke the bonds of friendship right after Bug's and Lily's wedding. She didn't hear from him again after that. Not even a Christmas card.

And now he'd changed so much from that Farm Boy she used to know and….love.

That chance she may have held a flicker of hope reuniting with was now jogging away from her…off the pier. With nothing more than a wave.

She pulled out her cell phone from her pocketbook. "Lily….I'll do it."


	5. Of Cabbages and Kings

**Chapter Five**

**Of Cabbages and Kings**

Invitro fertilization.

On paper, it's a simple process. Take an egg from the female, a sperm from the male. Combine the two in a Petrie dish, reinsert in woman, and abracadabra – instant zygote. Then an embryo. And finally a baby.

That's how it's supposed to go. Sounds quick, easy, and painless.

Deceptively so.

After Dr. Roberts gave Jordan a clean bill of health and after she had filled out mountains of paperwork that included a psychiatric check that attested to the fact she was mentally sound and was fully aware of what was about to happen, she underwent hormone treatments.

In the typical female cycle, only one egg is generally released. The hormone treatments would increase this egg production so that Dr. Roberts' staff could harvest several eggs at one time.

Jordan knew this was going to happen. She was a doctor and was aware this was normal procedure. What she was unprepared for were the mood swings and hot flashes the injections produced. She would have gone to work naked, if she thought Garret wouldn't have minded.

But after her second round of treatments, six viable eggs were harvested. Jordan didn't know whether to jump for joy or try to fill her tub with ice cubes with her in it to celebrate. Instead, she went back to work and shared the news with Lily and Bug.

Lily's eyes glinted. "Six…"

"Six…that's …that's wonderful, Jordan," Bug added. "More than I expected."

"Evidently I'm a fertile Myrtle…at least that's what Dr. Roberts' nurse said. They were expecting four at the most and I popped out six," Jordan replied, dropping into a chair in Lily's office. "At least that stops the hormone treatments for a while and I can stop turning down the thermostat in my office."

Lily giggled. "Yeah. Garret was beginning to ask questions…if you were harboring a family of penguins or polar bears in there."

Jordan chuckled. "Well, at least the temperature can get back to normal."

Bug nodded. "So when…" he let his voice trail off.

"Next week," Jordan answered. The first implantation attempt would be next Thursday. She already had the paperwork to ask off work for Thursday and Friday, as she would need to go home immediately after the procedure and put her feet up. Bug would have to agree to cover for her, but that wouldn't be an issue.

The issue would be when to tell everyone what was happening. So far, only the three of them was aware of what was going on. Jordan already had to miss a couple of days of work, but slid that by on Garret by declaring she was seeing a doctor for a few "female" issues. No questions were asked, and since she was owed the time off, it really didn't matter.

A pregnancy would be a whole _different_ issue. Especially when she would have to explain that yes, I'm pregnant; yes, I'm the mother – but it's Bug's and Lily's baby. She could imagine trying to have that conversation with Garret and Nigel. Some how her mind couldn't wrap itself around it.

"Next week…" Bug echoed, bringing Jordan out of her thoughts. "Next Thursday…Well, then." He gave Lily and Jordan a small smile. "Guess I'd better get back to work. I may soon have a child to support." He gave Lily a quick kiss and slipped out of her office and back to the lab.

Jordan watched him walk down the hall. "I hope…I hope he remembers that it usually takes more than one try…just like a normal conception."

"He will," Lily told her. "He's just excited about becoming a dad. I think he wants it to happen as soon as possible."

"Well," Jordan said standing, "I'm willing to try as many times as it takes. Oh…" She scribbled the dates on a piece of paper and handed them to Lily. "See if Bug can work for me next Thursday and Friday. I'll need to pretty much keep my feet elevated during that waiting period."

Lily nodded. "Shouldn't be a problem. We'll bring you dinner…"

"Okay..I need to finish up the Anderson file and a few things before lunch." She left Lily's office and turned the corner to reach her own when she hit a six foot wall of solid muscle and bounced back.

Woody.

"Sorry…" she said backing away. "I wasn't looking where I was going…"

His arms automatically went out to keep her from falling. "Obviously. Have you seen Bug?"

B.B..B..Bug?" His physical touch still left her tongue tied like a school girl.

"Yeah, Bug. Works here. Short man…" His sarcasm soon untied it.

"He's in the lab." _Smart ass…_

"Good. You okay?"

"Just fine…" she turned to go as he headed down the hall and knocked on the door to the lab. Idly she wondered if he had put Bug down on his Daytimer or if Bug was just one of the lucky ones Woody let into his life now that he had shut most other people out.

8888888888888

For Lily, Bug, and Jordan, the fourth time was the charm. After three unsuccessful attempts, the fourth one "took."

Jordan was pregnant.

She had tried not to think about it when she was one day late for her period. After five days, she was cautiously optimistic.

After a week, she told Lily and Bug. All three huddled together in Dr. Roberts' office as a pregnancy test was done. All three of them cried when it came back positive. Jordan was officially four weeks pregnant.

With none of the "normal" unpleasant symptoms of pregnancy. She didn't have morning sickness. She didn't have any unusual appetite changes. She was a little more tired than usual, but she excused that to everyone by saying she thought work was just getting to her.

Garret had frowned and asked her if she needed a few days off. Jordan told him no.

Bug was more difficult to deal with. He tried to unobtrusively monitor what she ate and drank…how she felt…if she was getting enough rest…All without arousing any one's suspicions. Lily was almost as bad…but not quite.

Still, it _did_ get on Jordan's nerves. She hadn't been monitored that closely since she was in elementary school. So when Bug and Lily told her they were going to take a vacation together away…a second honeymoon of sorts…before Jordan got too far along…she silently rejoiced before sending them on their way.

She was into the second trimester. She wasn't showing yet, so no one was asking questions. There were no problems with the pregnancy. Dr. Roberts said that she and the baby were perfectly, wonderfully healthy. He even teased Jordan that "she was made to have babies….lots of babies…why stop with just one?"

So she didn't have a second thought about anything before she kissed Bug and Lily good-bye and sent them on their way. They were planning a leisurely drive into the wine country of New York state…through the Finger Lakes region. They left on a Sunday, Jordan went to work on Monday. It was good day, as far as Mondays go, until she saw Woody that afternoon. He had wandered into the lab looking for test results that Bug was supposed to have left him. They were nowhere to be found.

To keep Woody's temper at bay, Jordan made a few calls. Another lab was the hold up, Woody should have them tomorrow.

Which meant she saw him on Tuesday, too. She called his office and left a message on his voice mail that she had the results from the lab. Did he want to come over and get it or did he want her to have a courier to take them to him?

Woody showed up after lunch to get the results.

Jordan was rattled the rest of the day. His presence still unnerved her…whether it was the ghosts of what-might-have-been from the past or the fact that he still wore the same knee-melting cologne, she wasn't sure. She just knew her heart still beat a little faster when he was in the room.

For which she promptly castigated herself for. It was more than over between them. He remained unaffected by her presence. Cool. Calm. Collected.

Wednesday clicked by. Then Thursday and Friday. The weekend. Each day she either spoke with him by phone or saw him in person. And despite the fact that any past they had together was long buried and forgotten by him, Jordan still dreaded the day when he asked her – and he would – who was the father of the baby she would be so obviously pregnant with by that point.


	6. And why the sea is boiling hot

_No job is finished until the paperwork is done…_ Jordan thought to herself as she hustled through the morning traffic of downtown Boston.

The pregnancy was going well. Work was going well. Her waistline was going well. There was only a slight bulge and only noticeable to her when all of her clothes were off and she was standing naked in front of her full length mirror.

And best of all…no stretch marks. Yet.

But she now had a bust line that would make any Victoria's Secret model envious. Some pregnancy hormones weren't all that bad. So what if she had to put up with occasional hot flashes and moodiness? The boob fairy had come…and left presents.

Lily and Bug were still on their second honeymoon and were due to be back at the end of the week.

All was well with the world. At least until this morning. Jordan was due in autopsy at nine with Garret. She was already running her normal late routine when she heard the phone ring and her answering machine pick up while she was in the shower. Checking her messages after drying off, she discovered it was Lily's and Bug's attorney, Mr. Littleton. He needed Jordan to come by his office first thing this morning.

Something that didn't really surprise her. Even though she, Bug, and Lily had carefully planned this surrogacy thing, even though she was entirely cooperative and knew what she was doing, Jordan had still been surprised at the amount of paperwork this baby was generating.

She evidently had more forms to sign.

So she was hurrying through the early morning rush hour to get to Mr. Littleton's office by eight, sign the papers, and get back to work by eight-thirty. Nine at the latest.

Sighing in relief that she was lucky enough to find a parking place in front of the lawyer's office, Jordan threw the El Camino in park and walked into his office.

--------------

"Have you seen Jordan?" Garret asked Nigel, as the chief ME popped his head into trace.

"No. But she did call a few minutes ago and told me she was way laid at some lawyer's office a few blocks away."

"Did she say when she'd be here?"

Nigel looked up from his microscope. "Not exactly…but she did say it would be soon."

"Lawyer's office." Garret rubbed his chin. "She's not in any trouble. At least none that I know of. At least none professionally. Is she seeing this lawyer? I mean socially?" he asked Nigel.

"If she is, she isn't saying. But I don't think that's it, Dr. M. She sounded upset. Really upset."

Garret didn't want to think the unthinkable, but it came out anyway. "Max? Could he have…"

Nigel shook his head. "I don't know. She didn't say. She just sounded upset."

"How upset?"

"Very upset…like…" Nigel didn't get to complete the statement. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open and Jordan stumbled out.

"What the hell?" Garret asked, reaching out and steadying her in his arms. "What happened?"

"It's Bug and Lily…there was an accident as they were coming back from New York…Lily…Lily didn't make it."

---------------------------

The next few days passed in a blur. Woody called the New York State Trooper that was in charge of the car wreck and was able to get the details a little at the time. It had been late. The Vejays were driving back towards Massachusetts. Drunk driver, going far too fast -- at least 20 miles per hour over the 65 limit – jumped the median. Bug swerved to avoid the guy, but they were still hit. The greatest impact of the crash occurred on Lily's side.

Her neck snapped. She died at the scene. In Bug's arms, while he desperately tried to help his wife.

The days bled into a week. There was the funeral….what Jordan remembered of it. And then there was Bug, who was nearly beside himself with grief and guilt – guilt that he hadn't been able to do more. Guilt that he hadn't been able to help his wife.

The guilt he carried like a weight on his shoulders that it was somehow his fault.

Jordan recognized the grief. She had carried those same feelings around with her after JD died. She knew Bug would need time.

She just hoped five months would be enough. The baby was due date was then. She was finally beginning to show a little. Not enough to raise eyebrows, but enough that she had to buy a size bigger jeans and begin to wear looser tops instead of her form fitting ones.

So Jordan gave him a couple of weeks. Hoping Bug would at least pull out of his grief enough to begin working a plan to parent the baby. She would be glad to help him, but this _was _his child. But so far, Jordan had been able to get very little out of him other than the fact he missed Lily so much that he physically ached.

"I know…" she had tried to soothe him. "I know how I felt after JD was killed. The guilt…the loss. But Bug, you've got to pull yourself together long enough to think about the future and this baby. I'll be glad to help you out anyway I can, but _you're _its father."

"And technically, _you're its_ mother. It was your egg…."

"But I've signed all the papers. You and Lily were to be it parents. I am allowed a place in the child's life, but _you two_ are its parents."

"You've forgotten one very important detail. I don't have a wife any longer. The baby no longer has a mother. Sure _you_ of all people can sympathize with that." Bug ran his hand through his hair, the grief of losing Lily washing over him again. He swallowed hard and steadied himself before he turned back around to face Jordan.

"I know. And I do." Fear of where this conversation was going began to settle in the base of her spine and wiggle its way up to an uncomfortable throbbing at the base of her neck. She could feel a tension headache coming on. "But Bug, I while I don't mind being a surrogate, I'm not sure I'm ready to be a mom. I mean, I have trouble with houseplants…" Her voice trailed off as she gave him weak smile.

Bug nodded and sighed. "Give me…" he started, then stopped and swallowed hard again. "Give me a few more days."

Jordan bit back a groan of impatience. She had hoped to get a straight and final answer out of him. "Until Thursday then…the day we're supposed to have the ultrasound?"

"Yeah. Thursday. That'll be good."

---------------------------------

Jordan showed up at Dr. Roberts' office on time. She filled out the obligatory paperwork, peed in a cup, and waited on Bug.

She was called back into the exam room, but left word with the receptionist to be on the watch for Mr.Veejay and send him back as soon as he came in. Dr. Roberts completed her exam and begin to get ready to perform the sonogram.

"Bug…he should be here by now," Jordan protested, as the cold goop was spread over her abdomen, getting her ready for the procedure

"I can wait a few more minutes, but I do have other patients, Dr. Cavanaugh." Dr, Roberts asked one of his nurses to check the waiting room one more time for Dr. Veejay.

"I know…but since his wife passed away, Bug hasn't been…exactly all here," Jordan said, trying to explain his tardiness.

Dr. Roberts nodded sympathetically. "I would assume so. After I heard about Lily, I was a little surprised that he wanted to continue with the surrogacy."

Jordan shook her head. "He doesn't have a lot of choices right now. I'll soon be at the six month mark."

"I know. I also know I can't wait on him any longer. I'll print lots of pictures and we'll do another one of these around your eighth month mark."

Nodding, Jordan reluctantly agreed. She watched in fascination as the baby came into view on the screen. Mentally she counted the fingers and toes and took a close look at the head. According to the centimeters across, she was right in the beginning of the six month. The spinal cord looked good.

It all looked good. The only area she avoided looking at was the spot that would tell her if she was having a girl or a boy. Dr. Roberts noticed.

"Don't you want to know?" he gently teased.

"No," Jordan sighed. "Not without Bug here. It just doesn't seem right….for me to know before he does. If he even wants to know."

The doctor nodded. "I understand." He printed out a handful of pictures, avoiding the specified area, and helped clean the jelly off Jordan's abdomen. "Take these to Dr. Veejay. And call me if you experience any problems. But right now, the baby is in excellent health and you're right on time."

Jordan thanked the Dr. Roberts and put her clothes back on. After the nurses had cleared out and the room was empty, she flipped open her cell phone and dialed the morgue. Nigel answered.

"Is Bug there, Nige?"

"Good morning, Love. Dr. M said you had a doctor's appointment. Is everything okay?"

"Um. Yeah. Some female….issues. But nothing serious. I do need to speak to Bug, though."

"Bug? He's not here. Can I help you with anything, Jordan?"

_Bug's not there…Bug's not here. Where's Bug?_ "Um… No. I need to talk to Bug…about a case. Is he out in the field?" _Surely he wouldn't forget his child's sonogram…_

"No. Bug hasn't come in or called…" Nigel paused, suddenly concerned. "And that's not like him."

Fear shot through her like a lightning bolt. "I'm going to stop by his place on the way in…check things out."

"Do you want me to come with you? Meet you there?"

"No. I'm good. If I need you, I'll call you." _If Bug's home, you don't need to hear the conversation. If he's gone, you don't need to see me go into melt down._

-------------------------------------------

Loud, angry knocking. "Bug. Bug, answer the damn door. Bug…."

Jordan pounded again. His car was in the driveway, but she could get no response from the inside. "BUG!"

She was just getting ready to call Woody. See if he would swing by and knock the door in. If a cop did it, it wasn't breaking and entering. Instead the door finally popped open and a disheveled Bug stood in the doorway. "Jordan…."

"Where were you?" she responded, not trying to keep the accusatory tone out of her voice. "Where were you? Your child's sonogram was this morning…and you missed it."

"I'm sorry….I just had a lot on my mind…"

"What? What could be more important than your baby? Do you need to talk about this Bug?" Jordan tried to push past him and get into the apartment. But he wouldn't let her.

"This is not a good time, Jordan," he warned.

"Well, when would be? You keep dodging the issue. We need to talk and you promised me today." She managed to finally push past him and into the apartment.

And lost her breath. The apartment was empty. Bug's suitcases were packed and by the door. "You're leaving?" Jordan began to feel her world drop out from under her.

"Just for a while. Just to get my head back together…" Bug responded, following her back into the apartment. "I was going to call and tell you."

"When?" She turned her attention away from the suitcases and swung back around to face him. "When you were through _running_?"

"I'm not running…."

"Look around you…" She swung round the apartment and then back to him. "Everything is gone. You're running away, not _going away to get your head together_….There is a difference!"

"Look, Jordan, I can't raise a child by myself…." His voice took on a desperate tone.

"I said I'd help…"

"But I can't do it …I can't do it without Lily….I can't. She was the one that really wanted this baby."

"And you didn't? Now is a fine time to realize that you didn't want a baby, you only did this for her…"

"Jordan…."

"Look…I've signed the papers. Sure, the baby came from my egg…but it was your sperm…It's your baby."

"No…it's not." His voice stopped her cold. "It wasn't my sperm…It's not my baby."


	7. And Whether Pigs Have Wings

**Chapter Seven**

**And Whether Pigs Have Wings**

"What do you mean you're not the father of this baby?" Jordan forcefully asked, her arms protectively going around her slightly expanding waistline.

Bug sighed, rubbed the back of his head, and turned away from her. "I'm not. I'm not the father of the baby. It wasn't my sperm they impregnated you with."

"Then _who_?"

Bug waved her question off. "It's confidential. I'm sworn to secrecy."

Jordan was silent for a moment, her mouth working, but no words coming out for a beat. "But…don't you think I deserved to know?"

"Jordan," Bug responded on an exasperated sigh, running his hand through his hair. "All you needed to know as a surrogate is that the donor is healthy and disease-free."

"But I thought the donor was _you_."

Bug gave her a painful look. "I'm sorry. It wasn't me."

"But….how come…."

He took a deep breath. "When I was a child in India, I came down with a high fever. Very high. And it..it…it.."

"Left you sterile."

Bug nodded, the motion as agonizing as the look on his face.

Jordan took a deep breath. "Did Lily know?"

He was silent for a long moment. "No. I wanted to tell her. Tried to tell her. But I couldn't. Every time we talked about why _we_ couldn't have a baby, it always came around to her endometriosis. I didn't want to add anything else to that burden. And the surrogacy thing came up and she was so happy…so thrilled. I didn't want to tell her anything else that would upset her."

"So you omitted the truth to spare Lily further pain and stood on the street corner to flag down semen donors?"

"It wasn't like that." Bug leaned against the wall of his empty living room and slid to the floor, holding out his hand for Jordan's so that she could join him.

"When you agreed to the surrogacy, which by the way, surprised the hell out of me, I knew I had to act fast," he said when she had sat down beside him. I wanted the baby to look like Lily… so I found a donor with similar coloring…disposition….as closely as I could, anyway."

"What? They have the semen donors catalogued with a physical description at the sperm bank?"

Bug chuckled wealy. "Not exactly."

"Let me guess…you posted a list of potential donors on a bulletin board and threw darts to make a choice? No...that's not like you. You put all the information in a data base and had the computer pick a donor?"

Bug have her another painful look. "No. Nothing like that at all. I'm afraid this is one time I didn't think like a scientist and thought like father. Or at least tried to. I tried to think of a person, other than myself, that I would like to be the progenitor of my offspring. Someone that I wouldn't mind raising his child. Someone I admired, not so much for their intelligence, although that was a factor, but for their character, personality, and disposition.

"Someone I knew," he continued. "Maybe even admired a little. Envied at some point. Someone I knew was also healthy…."

Jordan blanched. "Tell me I am not carrying Garret's child."

Another painful chuckle. "No. But if I tell you, you have to swear to me you won't tell him you know."

Jordan nodded.

"It's Woody's. You're carrying Woody's baby."

* * *

It took three days for the shock to wear off. Every time Jordan looked in the mirror she was reminded of the fact that God, in His infinite wisdom, also has an infinitely odd sense of humor.

In her goodwill gesture to be a surrogate for her best friend, she ended becoming pregnant with the child of a man she had once loved and lost, and now could barely stand to be in the same room with.

A man, who at one time, she would have given anything to love, honor, cherish, share a bathroom with, _and_ have his baby.

Now she was having his baby, but the rest of the old dream had vanished. Melted away, as she and Woody both were so very different people now than they were all those years ago when he was a fresh-faced, green detective straight from the backwoods of Wisconsin and she was only the slightly cynical ME from Boston. She sat back in the chair in her office and reflected on her reaction after Bug dropped the DNA bomb on her.

"_The baby is Woody's?"_ she had managed to stammer out that afternoon on the floor in Bug's empty living room.

He had nodded.

"_Didn't you think I just might want to know that?"_

"_Everything is confidential, Jordan."_

"_But…you led me to believe that you were the father…"_

"_No. I never said that. You assumed that."_

She had thought for a moment. Bug was right. He had never outright said he was the sperm donor and all the legal papers she had signed simply referred to Bug as the legal father of the child – a child that would have to go through adoption procedures to finalize everything.

Now came the bonus question. _"Does…does…Woody know that I'm…I'm…."_

"_No. He has no idea that you're the surrogate. Although once you start showing, I have a feeling he may put the whole surrogate-baby-sperm donor puzzle together rather quickly."_

"_Great. So how am I…supposed to….You're leaving, aren't you?"_

Bug nodded again. _"I need to get away. I see Lily everywhere here. I need to go somewhere and clear my head."_

Jordan sighed. _"Maybe for forever, right?"_

Another nod. _"It's a good possibility."_

"_But the baby. Your child…"_

"_I'll be back. I promise. Meanwhile, your medical bills will continue to be paid. The doctor and hospital have all that information. And there's extra money to do whatever you need with…"_

"_Why would I need extra money?"_ Her voice sounded strangled to even herself then.

"_In case I'm not back exactly when the baby's born…."_

"Jordan."

Her name being called loudly from her office door brought her back to reality. "Ummm, yeah?" She turned towards the sound.

She jumped when she saw it was the father of her child.

"Are you okay?" Dimples were intact as he grinned. "I called your name three times."

"Yeah, sure." Her arm went protectively over her slightly protruding tummy. "Case. Difficult one…just kinda lost in thought."

Woody nodded, his face still slightly puzzled. "The Snider file? Are you through with the reports?"

_So that was all he wanted._ She stifled a sigh of relief and gave him a genuine smile. "Sure." She reached for it on her desk and handed it off. "Anything else I can do for you, Woody?" Still smiling.

"No. This is good." He turned to go. "Are you sure you're feeling okay, Jordan?"

"Never better."

* * *

"You can run, but you can't hide…"

Jordan remembered the words of her father, spoken many times to suspects when Max worked as a detective.

_You can't hide…_

And Jordan knew she couldn't. She could avoid Woody. And she did that. As much as she could, as many times as possible.

But as her pregnancy became more noticeable, it became harder and harder to do.

First, of course, were the inevitable questions from Garret and Nigel. Jordan only revealed that Bug and Lily had asked her to be a surrogate for them. She didn't go into details, just revealed the information that they needed to know. Both men were touched by her "generosity of spirit."

Of course, they assumed that all of the basic reproductive components came from Lily and Bug. Jordan did nothing to clear up that indiscretion.

Woody…Woody became harder to dodge…and Jordan knew it wouldn't take long for the detective to figure things out and corner her. But as far as Woody knew, it was _Lily's_ egg. Jordan was only the carrier of her best friend's egg and her ex-whatever's sperm.

So when Woody finally caught sight of her protruding belly, he simply raised an eyebrow and caught her alone as soon as he could.

"It's you?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. It's me."

He grinned. It was one of those smiles that his dimples didn't participate in. "I should have figured Lily would ask you…her best friend … to carry a child she couldn't."

Jordan dropped her head and examined her fingers that were busy tying themselves in knots. "Yeah, she did. I was honored then. Now that she's…Lily's…gone, I'm even more honored."

Woody regarded her carefully for a moment. "How are you doing now that Bug's left the country?"

"Okay… I guess. I'm worried...about him…about…" she raised her head and looked him in the eyes. "Scared, I guess is the right word."

"That he won't come back?"

Anxiety gripped her cold and tight. She had never verbalized the fear herself, much less heard anyone else say what she had been afraid of. Throat tense, she simply nodded again.

"It's his baby. He's got to come back," Woody told her.

_If only it were that simple…._

But it wasn't. It wasn't that simple, although Jordan was glad Woody initially believed it.

However that belief didn't last for long.

* * *

Woody washed the last dinner dish and hung the towel over the handle of the stove with a sigh. It had been a long day and now he was going to settle down with a Guinness and watch the BoSox until the game was over or he fell asleep on the couch. Whichever came first.

He kept telling himself that being single and free was the best thing for him. No woman to answer to. No one to try to please, keep up with, or keep from going to prison. Just a string of mindless dates when he wanted company. Dates that could end with a chaste good night kiss at the door or something else more satisfying when both parties agreed.

He uncapped a bottle of the beer and picked up the remote to his TV, when the ringing of a telephone interrupted his plans. "Hoyt."

"Woody? It's Bug…we need to talk."

The next half hour turned Woody's world on its ear. In a voice laced with tears and guilt Bug revealed to him the truth. Just as Bug hadn't been able to donate his own sperm to the creation of the child, neither had Lily been able to donate her own egg.

"Whose was it?" Woody asked, all the time knowing in his heart of hearts exactly whose egg it was. He just needed his concerns confirmed.

Twenty minutes later, he was striding down the halls of the morgue, looking for her. A quick call to Garret had confirmed she had to work a double and was still at the morgue for the duration of the evening.

She wasn't in autopsy, she wasn't in the crypt. Trace was empty except for a couple of interns looking at reports. He turned on his heel. Her office. She had to be there.

And she was. Stretched out on her couch, sound asleep, Patriots blanket pulled over her, and her arm wrapped protectively around her abdomen. Looking so tired and worn out he hated to wake her.

But he needed answers. He needed explanations. She had known for at least two months and hadn't breathed a word. It didn't seem possible. It was surreal. It was something out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. The woman he once loved was now pregnant with his child without him having sex with her and he didn't know it until now.

_Damn modern medicine._

To top it all off, in Bug's semi-drunken confession of guilt, he insinuated that he had no plans to leave England anytime soon. The baby and Boston would dredge up too many memories of Lily. It was up to Jordan and Woody who would raise the baby. He…she…..them…..Bug was leaving it up to Woody and Jordan. The baby would receive every dime of Lily's life insurance money as recompense.

Reluctantly, Woody reached out a hand and shook her. "We need to talk," he told her in a clipped, cold voice as soon as her eyes fluttered open.


	8. But Wait a Bit

**Chapter Eight**

**But Wait a Bit**

The "talk" was disastrous. Woody realized the words came out all wrong as soon as he opened his mouth. Cold. Clipped. Nearly angry. Later he realized that Jordan didn't know at the time of the insemination that it was _his_ sperm and not Bug's. If she had of, she probably wouldn't have agreed so quite readily to the procedure.

But that night, when he woke her up in that tone of voice, she immediately shut down and shut him out. "There's nothing to talk about," she had told him, sitting up and then making an effort to stand. Anything to put space between them.

"That's my baby. Your baby. _Our_ baby," he had thrown back at her.

"This is _Bug's_ baby. I signed on to be a surrogate."

"Bug's not coming back from England anytime soon. He just told me. We just got off the phone…:"

"Then I'll take the baby to him."

"Jordan. Like it or not, this is _our_ baby. No matter how it happened, this child," he motioned between them, "is _ours_."

"No…You signed papers. I signed papers. Bug might come back after the baby is born, but he'll be back…"

"Maybe in a year or two. Or five or six. When he's had enough time to grieve Lily. Meanwhile, what's going to happen to our child?"

That question didn't get answered that night. Her radio had gone off, alerting Jordan to the fact that there had been a multiple car fatality on the turnpike and to except as many as eight bodies in the next hour or two. Without another word to Woody, she had turned and left her office, nearly running down the hall to prep trace and autopsy.

And to get away from him. From what her future and present reality might be.

Woody sighed and shut her office door, then leaned against it in the hallway. He needed some answers. Soon. What was she? Five months along? They needed to make a plan…some kind of plan.

* * *

But Jordan wasn't giving Woody answers or plans anytime soon. For days after their encounter in her office, she avoided him like the proverbial plague, seeing him only at work, discussing primarily cases, answering his questions about her health in monosyllabic words. She never returned his personal phone calls.

And Woody, being Woody and the type of person he still fundamentally was, worried. Worried about her. Worried about the baby.

Worried about what they should do. What he should do. The days that followed their "talk" left him with a concern about Jordan he hadn't been able to shake. She had looked tired and worn then. The times that he saw her after that did nothing to alleviate the feeling.

Their current situation was one Woody had never assumed in his wildest dreams he'd ever find himself in – a woman, pregnant with his child, that he hadn't slept with. Or at least recently slept with. Modern medical science was clashing with his Catholic mid-west values. Add in his burning desire just to have some _vague_ idea what was going on in Jordan's head and you had the makings of one fine migraine headache.

One he had to get some relief from because Advil and Tylenol and Maalox weren't touching the tension that was knotting his stomach and his neck muscles.

As the days bled into weeks, he did get a chance to corner her in trace one day after she had finally caught one of his calls. For days he had rolled over in his mind what he was going to say to her, knowing that finesse and timing were critical to the situation.

But those flew out the window when he caught sight of her burgeoning belly once more.

"Marry me." It came out in a rush of sincerity.

"Do what?" Her voice hit a new high of incredulousness.

"Marry me."

"Why in the hell…" Her head spun with the sudden request. Not to mention the ridiculousness of the moment.

"Because we're going to have a baby."

Jordan chuckled. A low, dry, sarcastic sound. "_I'm _going to have a baby. Bug's baby."

Woody shook his head. "Bug's not coming back, Jo. I know that and you know that. He's told us both that we need to make a plan for this child. That's what I'm trying to do.

And that's what you're trying to avoid."

The room went silent for a full minute and Woody was afraid he had pushed her too far, scared her off one more time, when her voice came back low and tense. "Don't you think I know that?"

He turned to face her then. "What?"

"Don't you think I know that?" she repeated, her brown eyes accusing him of believing the worst about her one more time. "Don't you think that I don't know that Bug isn't coming back and that we… I…need to decide what to do?"

He nervously cleared his throat. "So you have thought about it…this?"

Jordan nodded and turned away from him, her fingers tying themselves in knots. "Yeah…"

"Then marry me. So the baby will have a mother and a father…"

Another low, sarcastic chuckle. "No."

"No? No, the baby won't have a mother and a father or no, you won't marry me?"

"No. I won't marry you."

"Why?"

"I think that's fairly obvious."

"You mean the 'we're-not-really-seeing-each-other' thing?"

"No. It's more like the 'you're-seeing-Lu' thing."

Woody sucked in a breath. Obviously, no one had clued Jordan in. "Lu and I…we haven't seen each other in…I mean, right after you said you weren't coming back…she and I stopped seeing each other." There was no reason to go into all the nasty details of the break up right now.

Jordan blinked. "Oh." That was all she managed to get out. She had assumed, wrongly of course, but she had assumed that Woody and Lu were still an item.

"So will you?"

"Will I what?"

"Marry me? Lu's not in the picture and hasn't been for a while…and you…" He motioned to her belly bump.

"No."

"Jordan…"

She shook her head and turned back to him. "Just because the baby is _ours_ doesn't mean I'm going to marry you. We don't know each other anymore, Woody. We're different people."

"But…"

Jordan held up her hand to stop the interruption. "We're different people now. I'm a different person. I never expected to be a mother. Ever. I just assumed that the chance of motherhood evaded me when you started sleeping with Lu. Yet here I am. Pregnant. With your child that is legally Bug's and Lily's. It's an X-files plot and I have no idea how it's going to end. I don't know what I'm going to do." She squared her shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "But I am asking for time. To decide. To make a plan."

Woody w as silent for a minute. "I can take the baby, Jordan. I mean if you're undecided, or don't think you want the baby full-time, I can get a nanny and…"

Jordan shook her head vehemently. "No. This may be my last chance…my only chance…to be a mom."

"I understand, but…"

She shook her head again, just as firmly. "No. You're too uptight now, Woody. Everything you do now is by the book. I may not know a lot about babies, but I do know that they don't always fit the schedule in your Daytimer."

"But…"

"No 'but's'. The baby will have a mother and a father. They just won't be married.


	9. Before We Have Our Chat

**Chapter Nine**

**Before We Have Our Chat**

_The baby will have a mother and father. They just won't be married…_

That thought pounded through Woody's head in synch with his feet that were hitting the pavement with the same rhythm as he ran. Not only did it seem like this baby's parents weren't going to be married, it also seemed like they were going to be barely speaking to each other as well. The most Woody had gotten out of Jordan were a few words spoken over a dead body or a mumbled sentence or two when she handed off reports to him.

In short, during the last two weeks, Jordan had tried her best to put him out of sight and out of mind. Or so it seemed to Woody. And it appeared she had been pretty damned successful at it.

To counter, Woody had waffled between wanting her to answer his field calls so he could at least see that she was fine, to wanting her to stay in the morgue so he at least knew she was safe. He compromised by allowing chance to dictate if she answered his calls for a ME and making the opportunity to be in the morgue at least once a day. While Jordan may not ever agree to be his wife, she would always be the mother of his child. And in Woody's mind, that gave him the right to be concerned about her welfare.

Unfortunately, he forgot that Jordan was very good at hiding. When she didn't want to be found, she could conveniently and efficiently drop out of sight. And right now, she didn't want to see Woody. When he did manage to find an excuse to go to the morgue, she rarely was there. He would swear she either had some kind of sixth sense that warned her when he was coming or had tapped into the GPS system on his cell phone.

Right now, he wouldn't discount either scenario. All he knew was that Jordan was avoiding him. Whether she was afraid that he would resurrect his poorly worded and badly-timed marriage proposal or push some kind of custody issue, he wasn't sure.

He just knew he was concerned about her. And the baby.

* * *

As usual, work was Jordan's cure-all for anything that ailed her. When she was worried, she worked. When she was in crisis, she worked harder. And when worry and crisis crossed paths in her life, she worked as long and as hard as she could. Or at least as much as Garret and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts would allow in overtime.

But hell, even if she wasn't paid, she'd still find herself back in the morgue when her world was crashing in around her. There was something comfortingly methodical about an autopsy. Even in the most horrendous of deaths, a lung is going to be where a lung should be. Likewise a heart or a pancreas. If they're not where they were originally intended to be, then you have a clue as to how this person died.

The insides of bodies were like pearls on a string. Exquisite, invaluable, and pretty much identical. Something Jordan could count on when her world was topsy-turvy and inside out. Like it was now.

She was pregnant. With Woody's child. But the child legally didn't belong to either one of them. Legally it belonged to Bug.

Bug. Who now didn't want the child because the whole situation reminded him too much of Lily.

Lily. Bug's now deceased wife and Jordan's best friend. Lily. Who Bug wasn't trying to forget, but was trying to somehow get on with his grief-laced life.

A life that didn't include the baby that biologically belonged to Woody and Jordan but was legally the Veejays.

A baby conceived not through traditional methods but through the methods of modern technology.

The thoughts of just how upside down her world had become made Jordan even more nauseous than morning sickness did that seemed to constantly plague her. A topsy-turvy world of her own making, all because she had tried to do a good deed…a favor for her best friend.

"See if your mom ever tries to be that nice again," she grumbled to her stomach, laying a calming hand on the kicking baby. "To you, yes. To the rest of the world…the hel…heck with them." She was trying to watch her language for the baby's sake. She figured now was a good a time as any to start. At least _in utro_, her voice would be muffled to the child. By the time he or she could really hear, maybe Jordan's language would at least be two notches up from a sailor's.

And if Jordan was completely honest with herself, the hours she was putting in at the morgue were for more than just trying to right her upside down world. It was a monumental effort to steer clear of Mr. Daytimer-Driven-Midwestern-Values Wilson. Yes, he knew where she worked. And yes, he could find her there. But the morgue offered lots more hiding place options than her tiny apartment. She could duck and dodge faxes, phone calls, and e-mails. She could hide in trace, autopsy, or one of the many storage rooms. She could answer field calls and simply not be present when he made his daily visit.

But in her apartment, she was trapped.

Until she was sure of herself and where Woody fit in as the father of this technologically conceived child, she needed time.

And working long hours allowed her that.

* * *

For three weeks, Woody let her dodge him, remembering that at times, it was better to let Jordan settle things in her own mind before calling her out on them. But at the end of the third week, Woody's concern had blossomed into a flower with a bit of an angry tint to the edges.

It was his child, too. And if she was working too much and too hard, she could hurt their child. One evening after quitting time, he called Nigel, who was on the nightshift and confirmed that Jordan was still in the morgue.

"Indeed, mate. She's in her office right now," Nigel told Woody.

"Can you keep her at least in the morgue until I get there? There are some questions on the…" Woody struggled to pull a case from memory that they had worked on together. "the Brady case," he finished in triumph.

"I thought that case was closed last week…"

_Think quick…_ "Just a couple of loose ends to tie up," he stammered.

"Uhhhhhh-huhhhhhh," Nigel drawled, disbelief clearly in his voice. As usual, Nigel and nearly everyone in the office had been aware of the game of dodge ball between Woody and Jordan for nearly the entire previous month. "I'll do my best, Woodrow.

In the end, it turned out that Woody didn't have anything to worry about. When he arrived at the morgue and pushed open the door to Jordan's office, he found her sound asleep on the couch.

Looking so tired and worn-out that his heart automatically went out to her, despite any concern he had over her working long hours. Quietly he knelt beside her sleeping figure and gently pushed the hair back off her face. "Jordan?" he whispered

No response. A gentle shake and this time he whispered "Jordan" with a tad more force. Her eyelids flickered open and shut again.

And to Woody's surprise, she turned towards him. This time "Jordan" came out of his mouth with more puzzlement than anything. He had expected her to push him away. And as usual, she surprised him by doing the exact opposite. "Jo…wake up."

"Don't want to," came the sleepy reply. "I'm tired." This time she inched closer to him and Woody found his arms automatically going around her to keep her from falling off the couch.

"I can tell." Amusement laced his voice this time. "Maybe you should go home and rest instead of working so many hours?"

The practicality of his Midwestern common sense brought Jordan out of the comfort of the dream she was having…the one where her world was made right again. That the baby was healthy and she and Woody were getting along. She had assumed his voice had been part of her dream.

"I'm working a double," she answered vaguely, pushing herself up into a sitting position and out of his arms.

"A double that ended a half an hour ago," he replied, standing and reaching for her coat. "Put this on." He reached out and took her hand, hauling her to her feet. "I'm taking you home. You're too tired to drive."

"But I'm fine. Really."

Woody shook his head. "No. You're not. Really. You're exhausted."

"I'm _fine._"

He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "So that dead-to-the-world nap on your couch was for no reason at all?"

"I…" Jordan felt her cheeks flush. "Morning sickness…kinda caught up with me later than normal…and …"

"That combined with work has taken a toll on you," he finished, helping her with her coat the entire time. "Come on. I'm taking you home."

"But…" Jordan stood stock-still in the middle of her office, fighting against the feeling of being manhandled and the desire just to let someone else take over for a while…letting her rest.

"Your car will be fine. I'll drive you to work tomorrow morning." He tugged her towards the door.

"But I'm not coming to work tomorrow morning. I have a sonogram appointment…" She obediently followed him out her door, berating herself for sounding and feeling just a little on the slow side.

"Then I'll go with you to that…and we'll both come here afterwards."

"But…"

"That's the fourth 'but' you've given me in as many minutes. Just come _on_, Jordan."

* * *

The ice between them was at least thawing a little. Woody had driven her back to her apartment and then while she was in the shower, had found the makings of a spaghetti dinner. When Jordan emerged from her bathroom, she discovered salad, pasta, marinara, and garlic bread waiting on her. The nausea subsiding, she ate for the first time in days without the feeling that what was "going down must come back up." Woody waved off her attempt to help with the dishes, instead steering her towards the bedroom.

"Rest," he told her. "What time is your appointment tomorrow?"

"Eleven." Her words were already slurring with sleep before her head properly hit the pillow.

"I'll be here at ten." He tucked her in and smoothed the hair back from her forehead. "I'll finish the dishes and let myself out."

She nodded. He got up and edged towards the door, but her voice called him back.

"Woody?"

"Yes, Jordan?" He paused at the doorway to her little glass-walled bedroom. From the light in her living room, she could see his profile. Strange how she had always thought him to be broad shouldered and good-looking, but lately the years had added a more chiseled look too him. And with his tie now completely undone and his shirt unbuttoned two buttons at the collar he looked…he looked….just damned sexy. Jordan self-consciously shifted in her bed. She must look like a beached whale now. Still…despite her body remembering in tingly accuracy what making love to him felt like…she was grateful for his attention to her tonight on a purely platonic level.

"Thank you – for everything tonight."

"You're welcome." He pushed away from the doorway and went to the kitchen to finish the dishes. Then, after making sure she was asleep, he left her apartment, stopping to lock the door behind him.

Showing back up, as promised the next morning at ten. He once again helped her with her coat and she gave him directions to the doctor's office. Jordan checked in and Woody eyed the room, noting other men there with their wives or girlfriends. He seriously doubted another couple was in the same room…the same building….hell, the same city with the same set of circumstances that he and Jordan found themselves in.

He was still mulling over that fact when the nurse called them both back. A little cold jelly on Jordan's stomach and a probe of the wand and their baby's face came into view on the screen with alarming clarity. Neither of them said anything for minutes as the doctor took measurements and pictures.

"You two are a quiet pair," the nurse quipped. "It's a little overwhelming, I know…"

It was Jordan who broke the silence. "Is…everything okay?"

"Fine. Just fine," the technician replied. "Looks great and you're right on time for delivery.

"Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?" Woody asked.

The sonogram technician looked at them both. "You're sure you want to know? Some people like to be surprised."

Woody cast Jordan a sideways look. She gave him a tiny nod. "Yeah. We both want to know.

"It's a girl. You're having a daughter.

* * *

Woody's head spun and he was never sure exactly how he got Jordan back to his car and helped into the passenger seat.

A girl. He was having a daughter. His mind flew from a baby swathed in pink blankets to a toddler with chestnut curls and her mother's honey-colored eyes. Scenes from preschool, ballet, and girl scouts soon followed.

Then schooling. Catholic schools to begin with. At least for elementary. Then middle school? He wasn't so sure. And if she had a lot of ability in math and science like her mom, only the best high schools would be good enough. Then maybe Tufts for undergraduate work. For graduate? Harvard? Yale? Brown?

Woody shook his head. They still had three months to go before the baby was born. Maybe he should concentrate on the basics…like getting a crib. What kind? Only the safest for sure…

It was Jordan's voice that brought him back to the present. She was on her cell phone. "Can I speak to Mr. Horton?" A few seconds later, Mr. Horton obviously came on the line because then Woody heard a barrage of statements about moving funds and selling stock. He shamelessly eavesdropped as Jordan finished her call.

"Who was that?" he asked her when she flipped her phone shut.

She gave a sideways glance. One that clearly told Woody he may just have overstepped his bounds. "My financial planner."

"Your financial planner?"

"Yeah. I'm going to have to move some money around…make it a little more liquid before the baby's born. I don't know what I'll be facing and…"

"Jordan." Woody took a deep breath and tightened his grip in the steering wheel as he realized his voice came out a bit sharper than he intended. "I plan on helping with the baby. You're not going to have to go through this alone."

She didn't say another word until he had pulled up at the morgue to let her out. "You're not, you know," he reiterated. "The baby has two parents, regardless of whether we're….together or not. I want to help monetarily and I want to have an active part in her life."

There was still dead silence in the car and Woody begin to feel a cold, familiar fear wash over him. The kind he had felt before every time Jordan had pushed him out of her life.

But it melted when she reached out and took his hand. "I know," she said in a small voice. "We've just got to figure out how everything fits..."


	10. Do You Admire the View?

**Chapter Ten**

**Do You Admire the View?**

Figuring out how everything would fit took less time than Woody imagined it would.

That day, four years ago, when he had taken Jordan back to the morgue, he had assumed the conversation had been tabled until closer to the birth of their daughter. He had been the one most surprised when she showed up that evening at his apartment.

"Hey," he said when he had opened the door. He knew surprise tinged his words as well as shown on his face.

"Am I interrupting something?" She had nervously pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"No…no…come on in…"

She had entered his tiny apartment and aimlessly circled the living room a few times before she said, "I can't do this alone, Woody." Her still-nervous hands ran over her expanding belly.

"No one expects you to, Jor." He had nearly gone to her then, to try to soothe her, but she was wound tight and Woody was desperately afraid that any contact would make her run. It was better to let her take control of this situation. "I promise you, I'll be there for you. For the birth, for support, both financial and otherwise."

She shook her head. "That's not what I mean. I mean I can't to this…do any of this…alone. I don't know anything about babies. I mean, I never paid a whole lot of attention to kids, and even when I got pregnant, I didn't do a whole lot of reading up on raising a child. I was supposed to give her to Bug and Lily…and now…" She stopped and looked at him with wide eyes.

And said in a small voice, "I'm scared, Woody."

He crossed the room and ran his hands down her arms. "I know. I am, too."

"I mean I really can't do this alone…"

The hands on her arms drew her to him and for a long while they just stood in the middle of his living room as he held her, rubbed her back in comforting circles, and swayed slightly.

"Tell me I don't have to," she said with a slight hiccup in her voice.

"You don't have to. You never did."

From then on, she never did. Woody didn't move in with Jordan right away, nor Jordan with him, but after three months of sleeping on her couch when Jillian was born, the tiny apartment began to take its toll. It wasn't long afterwards they decided to put a joint down payment on a townhouse with three bedrooms – one for a nursery, one for Jordan, and one for Woody.

Six months of semi-sleepless nights with colic and teething later, they found they depended on each other more than ever—and now that dependency wasn't just at work. It extended to their little family.

Woody had gulped and swallowed hard when Jordan had referred to them as that…_a family_. And she wanted a family portrait made when Jillian turned one. They had gone to the photographer and had one taken. Later they went out to eat, _as a family_, then returned home, and both parents put the baby to bed.

That was the night Jordan had paused outside the door of her bedroom and invited Woody in. Jillian had slept peacefully through the night. If Woody remembered correctly, he and Jordan got little sleep, seemingly hell-bent on making up for lost time.

That was four years ago.

Now as he pulled into the driveway of their new home…a four bedroom Cape Cod with a fenced in backyard purchased that spring, he had to chuckle. There were birthday streamers and balloons….a cake and a half a dozen little girls playing in the kiddie pool Jordan had filled earlier in the day. It was Jillian's birthday. And it was a party.

Aside from the four-year old girls, Woody noticed the front porch was filled with friends…Nigel. Garret. Renee'. Even Bug, who watched his almost-daughter with wonderment. Shortly after Jillian's birth, Bug had signed the papers needed for Jordan and Woody to "legally" have their daughter. In response, Bug was made Jillian's godfather, a role he had taken very seriously since his return to Boston.

But one person was missing. As Woody got out of his car, a tub of ice cream in hand, he looked vainly for Jordan, at last catching a glimpse of her at the side of the house, beginning to grill hot dogs. On her left hand sparkled a diamond engagement ring, a concession she had at last agreed to only in the past couple of months.

As her belly swelled with their second child. A boy.

This time conceived without the benefit of modern technology, only with the blessings of love. Woody's chuckle turned into a laugh. From where he was standing, the view was great.


End file.
